2022 Domaine Durrmann Rouge de Pinot Noir

WINEMAKER: André Durrmann
REGION: Alsace, FR
VARIETY: Pinot Noir
VITICULTURE: Certified Organic/Biodynamic

Pinot Noir grapes were harvested by hand from the certified organic & dry farmed Wagner (Sandstone) & Litt (Schist) vineyards. Destemmed & macerated for 3 weeks & fermented with indigenous yeast in stainless steel. Matured in tank on gross lees for 10 months prior to bottling. Unfined & unfiltered.

It was a much warmer year in Alsace which has resulted in a slightly rounder & softer red compared to previous iterations of this cuvée. Heady & pronounced on the nose & fine boned. Plenty of juicy red cherry, cranberry, hibiscus & violets, watermelon & raspberry. The hallmark characters of Alsatian Pinot Noir, through a deft nouveau lens.

Tucked away among the picturesque vistas of the storied Alsace region, lies the charming winemaking village of Andlau. A beautiful village nestled on the first slopes of the Vosges Mountains south-west of Strasbourg by 30 minutes, which is renowned for its rich viticultural heritage. Settled in the year 880AD by a monastery of nuns, a place where grapes have been cultivated for more than a thousand years! Andlau stands as a testament to centuries of winemaking tradition & innovation - and here lies Domaine Durrmann.

Domaine Durrmann was established in 1979 with a mere 1.5Ht undervine, inherited from André Durrmann's grandfather who worked as a shoemaker, to supplement his vinous & mixed farming pursuits. The absence of entrenched winemaking customs may have posed initial challenges to Anna & André Durrmann, but it also gifted them the freedom to forge a path unbound by convention. 

Enter Yann Durrmann, heir to this rich legacy, who has trodden the vineyard rows since childhood & now steers the Domaine's helm with great conviction. Concerned with the preservation of their surrounds, Domaine Durrmann has been certified organic since 1998. They consider their farm as a single organism, an ecosystem in which they maintain a balance between their various flora of vines, fruit trees for juice & Eau de Vie, and grass for grazing sheep. Durrmann's vineyards are dry grown, rooted in steep & rocky slopes where their soils are left covered with grass to prevent soil erosion & to help maintain a balanced soil microbiome - maintaining their natural fertility & encouraging biodiversity.